“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also”.

(2 Timothy 2:1-2, ESV).

It was a joy for me to represent NGU at the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC). Former NGU student, Bryant Sims, served as President of the Convention. He did an outstanding job in planning and leading South Carolina Baptists for the last year. Under Bryant’s leadership, the Convention focused on engaging the culture with the gospel. There was a particular challenge for Baptist leaders to invest themselves in students, the next generation of Baptist leaders. Rev. Alex Sands was elected to serve as the first African American President of the SCBC. His term begins after the Convention in November 2020. When Josh Powell, NGU alumnus, assumed the presidency at the end of the Convention, he became the third consecutive former NGU student to serve as President of the Convention. Marshall Blalock, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Charleston, preceded Bryant’s tenure as president. He earned his D.Min. degree at the NGU graduate school. It was my pleasure to serve as second chair on his committee.

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he encouraged him to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ. We are saved by grace to share the grace of Christ with others. Further, Paul told Timothy to entrust Paul’s teaching to faithful people, who will in turn pass along the faith to other people. This is the way of disciple making. These two verses have shaped my ministry across the years. I know that many of our NGU faculty and staff are continually investing their lives through their students. I am amazed at the global impact of our students.

When I prepared to attend the Baptist Convention of New England meeting earlier this month, I didn’t think I would know anyone there. It was my first trip to New England. As I was checking my luggage with Joyful Sound (who led the worship music for the entire convention) at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport, someone came up behind me and gave me a bear hug. I turned and was surprised to see Tim Owens, one of my students from the 1990s. I had lost touch with Tim. I asked him what he was doing in the airport and he told me that he was returning home to Vermont. I told him I was on the way with Joyful Sound to the Baptist Convention of New England (BCNE) meeting. Tim laughed and said, “I know.” I asked how he knew and he explained to me that he was finishing his second term as President of the BCNE.

At the BCNE meeting, I saw Erik Maloy, who studied at NGU in the 1990s. He serves as pastor of a New England church that is almost 400 years old. It was originally a Congregational church. John Harvard, the namesake of Harvard University who donated his library and half of his estate to the fledgling school, was the third pastor of the church. The church was instrumental along with a few other churches in establishing Harvard. The church had drifted to become a universalist church prior to Erik’s leadership that restarted the First Church of Charlestown. In a storage room, Erik discovered letters of commendation on major anniversaries of the church from President Woodrow Wilson, Speaker Tip O’Neal, and President Ronald Reagan. Other NGU graduates serving churches in New England include Lyandon Warren, Ricky Vess, and Logan and Katie Loveday.

Graduates from NGU have served the Lord around the world from the earliest days of the institution. Marion and Thelma Morehead were long time missionaries in Japan, Mac Brunson surrendered to preach on the steps at White Hall. He serves as pastor at Valleydale Church in Birmingham, AL. He has also served as pastor at First Baptist of Dallas, TX, and First Baptist of Jacksonville, FL. John Brady is a long serving vice president at the International Mission Board.

My first intern team at NGU included: Bryan Lark who planted a church and is serving as pastor at Church180 in Colorado, Elizbeth Dutton Apperson who planted a church in Las Vegas, NV, with her husband, Kevin, who serves as pastor, our own Lamont Sullivan, who serves as NGU’s Alumni Director, and Jay Hardwick, the Associate Executive Director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Travis Kerns, Associate Professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the former Send City Missionary to Salt Lake City, UT, was one of the first student chaplains to serve at NGU. Chris Underwood, former NGU soccer player, serves as an IMB missionary in France. Other students who are serving include Chandler Bailey, Josh Hepner, Curtis Johnson, Steven and Holly Furtick, Travis Agnew, Curtis Keith Emery, Josh Epton, Rob Wilton, Jody and Emily Jennings, Josh Langford, Seth Condrey, Charlee Buitrago, Scott Lewellen, Rhett and Shannon Burns, Joshua and Nicole Gilmore, Walter Pym, Brian Spearman, Paul Eckard, Brandon and Rachel Batson, Erin Wolfe, Matt and Allie Hall, and so many others. When you start naming names, the list goes on and on and on. I limited the names used in this article to my academic and profession field. I apologize in advance for the myriad of names I have omitted, including several current faculty and staff members at NGU. I recognize that if others wrote this article, the names would be different focusing on students from their academic disciplines. The Lord is using NGU graduates who serve as doctors, lawyers, educators, musicians, business leaders, entrepreneurs, journalists, digital media leaders, artists, engineers, mathematicians, historians, psychologists, sports managers, leaders in humanities, politicians, actors, directors, creative artists, linguistics, languages, radio and television personalities and producers, health sciences and in many other ways. I am thankful them all.

My point is that those who serve the university are practicing the spiritual principles in the text above. NGU graduates are engaged in God’s global plan. Thank you for equipping students to be transformational leaders for church and society.